The assay of Herpes Simplex Virus Type 1 (HSV-1) and Type 2 (HSV-2) with Helix pomatia lectin has been documented by Svennerholm, B. et al., "Herpes Simplex Virus Type-Selective Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay with Helix pomatia Lectin-Purified Antigens," in Journal of Clinical Microbiology, 19(2), 1984, pp. 235-239; Olofsson, S. et al., "Different Populations of Herpes Simplex Virus Glycoprotein C Discriminated by the Carbohydrate-binding Characteristics of N-acetylgalactosamine Specific Lectins (Soybean and Helix pomatia)," in Archives of Virology, 86, 1985, pp. 121-128, and Olofsson, S., "Populations of Herpes Simplex Virus Glycoprotein gC with and without Affinity for the N-Acetyl-Galactosamine Specific Lectin of Helix pomatia," in Archives of Virology, 76, 1983, pp. 25-38. Each of these three articles documents the specificity of Helix pomatia lectin for HSV-1 and its consequent suitability for use in laboratory assay. For example, Svennerholm et al. conclude that HSV type-specific immunoglobulin G antibodies can be measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay with the use of Helix pomatia lectin-purified HSV-1 and HSV-2 antigens.
As with any diagnostic technique which incorporates an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), however, the typical Svennerholm technique involves complex procedures and expensive equipment, both of which contribute to delay. Additionally, prior art techniques have for various reasons typically required an incubation period of several days. Furthermore, none of the articles cited above teaches or suggests that a particular method of using Helix pomatia lectin can give faster or more reliable identification of HSV than can those of the prior art. A need remains, therefore, for a simple, inexpensive and rapid diagnostic test to confirm suspected HSV infection. A need further remains for a unique non-immunological reagent that provides means to differentiate between HSV-1 and HSV-2 serotypes in a single monolayer of HSV infected cells.